- Published on
"Reach" - acrylic on cradled birchwood panel, 11" x 14" x .75". Ready to hang (sides are painted; no need to frame. Hanging wire attached). Available here and at Artfinder.
“There are things you can’t reach. But
You can reach out to them, and all day long.
The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of god.
And it can keep you busy as anything else, and happier.
I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.
Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
As though with your arms open.”
― Mary Oliver
This week in the studio I am channeling the color palettes of Seba Urgurtan (more specifically her 2014 figurative work) along with a continued effort to merge background with foreground in a figurative piece. Learning to embrace 80 million layers of very similar colors in slightly varying hues, and falling in love with the way those layers build and peek and sing and soothe.
(Many thanks to reader and artist extraordinaire Trina Tarlton for introducing me to the work of Urgurtan!)
You can reach out to them, and all day long.
The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of god.
And it can keep you busy as anything else, and happier.
I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.
Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
As though with your arms open.”
― Mary Oliver
This week in the studio I am channeling the color palettes of Seba Urgurtan (more specifically her 2014 figurative work) along with a continued effort to merge background with foreground in a figurative piece. Learning to embrace 80 million layers of very similar colors in slightly varying hues, and falling in love with the way those layers build and peek and sing and soothe.
(Many thanks to reader and artist extraordinaire Trina Tarlton for introducing me to the work of Urgurtan!)
Reach
The pose of this piece attracted me to the words of Oliver, which of course felt a little like the universe expounding on my own life and the desire to keep reaching out...or, rather, "standing around as though with (my) arms open." I am learning, lately, to look with my arms open. And by arms I also mean heart and mind and life and spirit. The more I stand with arms open, looking, the more I see and feel and know exquisite things I never dreamed of before.
Along with that, of course, I also see and feel and know sorrow, pain, longing, loneliness, doubt and grief. My own and also the feelings of those my arms reach for and hold tenderly. And yet, in the slow, careful pace of a pandemic, there is time to process all the things and give them each attention. It feels right, this pace. I'm pretty sure my current spirit creature is snail or sloth or slow loris. Bring it on, universe, but slowly. :)
Along with that, of course, I also see and feel and know sorrow, pain, longing, loneliness, doubt and grief. My own and also the feelings of those my arms reach for and hold tenderly. And yet, in the slow, careful pace of a pandemic, there is time to process all the things and give them each attention. It feels right, this pace. I'm pretty sure my current spirit creature is snail or sloth or slow loris. Bring it on, universe, but slowly. :)
While I get back to work on videos, enjoy a little pictorial history of this painting:
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Get the Gallery cyber Art Drop! Wonder Mike's sticky paws selected two winners at random from all of those who shared GTG's Facebook art posts. Congratulations Angela V. and Debra H! You will each receive one of these mixed media creations in the mail. Hooray!
7 Comments
Oh Jen, this is all so good. I'm weepy with the words and your beautiful, evocative painting.
awww Carol! Sending hugs, lovely one. Thank you. xo
Jen, I am resonating with REACH and ARMS OPEN. Also with SLOTH and SNAIL. Which way to go???! THANK YOU for intros to Seba and Trina (reach reach) and million of layers of very similar colors in slightly varying hues (slow mo). In this moment, all to the good, a student about to knock on my FaceTime door, which will anchor me as the reaching and slothing interweave.
Oh Dotty, I am cracking up over here, imagining the interweaving reaching sloth and open-armed (?) snail and the push and pull of door knocks and anchors. :)
I love everything about this post. The poem and painting tell a story. The painting knocks my socks off!
Carl! I hope you find your socks. :) And thank you BIG bunches! I so appreciate your feedback!!!!!!
The spirit of the poem resonates in your figure. The masses of blacks and blues, and the touch of beige create a dramatic figure! She seems meditating.
